Glendale council raises legal-services appropriation after councilors warn of mounting costs

The Village of Glendale council voted unanimously to adopt ordinance 2026-15 to increase appropriations for solicitor and legal services after staff said invoices for late 2025 and early 2026 had pushed the line well beyond the original budget.

David Lumsden and the finance director told council that the village's appropriation for legal services was originally set at $35,000, that 2025 expenditures totaled about $62,000, and that year-to-date 2026 spending through late January was about $29,000. "Projecting this to the end of the year, we're on a path to go to a $130,000," one council member warned.

Councilors pressed for more precise forecasting and discussed ways to limit spending, including narrowing the scope of a zoning-code rewrite or using nonlegal consultants for portions of the work. "We have a very tight budget," a council member said, calling the line item "a budget buster" if not managed.

The discussion flagged several ongoing legal drivers: active zoning and code enforcement cases now in the court system, a pending trial in June, and work on revising the personnel manual. Council and staff discussed forecasting trial costs with the village solicitor and working together to control spending.

Council waived readings and adopted the ordinance by roll call; the clerk recorded unanimous aye votes.

Clarifying details: council members and staff cited 2025 legal spending of about $62,000, an original 2026 appropriation of $35,000, and year-to-date 2026 legal spending of about $29,000 (through late January). Several members asked staff to prepare a forecast and explore alternatives before year-end.